Film Forum

Location & Contact:

209 West Houston Street
Manhattan, NY 10014
212-727-8110
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Description:

Film Forum began in 1970 as an alternative screening space for independent films, with 50 folding chairs, one projector and a $19,000 annual budget. Karen Cooper became director in 1972 and under her leadership, Film Forum moved downtown to the Vandam Theater in 1975. In 1980, Cooper led the construction of a twin cinema on Watts Street. In 1989, when the Watts Street cinema was demolished by developers, Film Forums current Houston Street cinema was built at a cost of $3.2 million. Today, Film Forum is a 3-screen cinema open 365 days a year, with 250,000 annual admissions, 489 seats, 67 employees (of which 22 are full time), 4000 members and a $4.5 million operating budget. Approximately 73% of our budget is spent directly on programs.

We present two distinct, complementary film programs NYC theatrical premieres of American independents and foreign art films, programmed by Cooper and Mike Maggiore; and, since 1987, repertory selections including foreign and American classics, genre works, festivals and directors retrospectives, programmed by Bruce Goldstein. Our third screen is dedicated to extended runs of popular selections from both programs, as well as new films for longer engagements.

Film Forum is the only autonomous nonprofit cinema in New York City and one of the few in the U.S. The success of our distinctive position is evidenced by our 40-year tenure, during which our programs and fiscal resources have grown steadily during a period when literally dozens of art-house theaters throughout the city have closed their doors. We raise approximately 37% of our operating income (or $1.7 million) from public and private sources, which allows us to take risks on emerging filmmakers and challenging films. Film Forum has a small endowment (approximately $3.2 million) begun in 2000 with the help of a $1.25 million gift from the Ford Foundation.

As a cinema of ideas, Film Forum is committed to presenting an international array of films that treat diverse social, political, historical and cultural realities. Unlike commercial cinemas that primarily book high-grossing, Hollywood films, Film Forums programs are thoughtfully curated, with attention to unique cinematic qualities, historical importance individually or within a genre and, particularly for documentaries, relevance to todays world.

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